The Port of Long Beach (POLB) on Feb. 25 reported kicking off 2026 with its “second-busiest” January on record. Cargo volume declined 11% from January 2025—the Port’s best January and second-busiest month in its 115-year history—following a “record-setting 9.9 million TEUs [Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units] moved in 2025, when uncertainty prompted shippers to move goods before tariffs and reciprocal tariffs were implemented last spring,” POLB said.
Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 847,765 TEUs of cargo containers last month; imports came in at 409,818 TEUs, down 13.1%; and exports were 99,478 TEUs, up 0.8%, according to POLB. Empty containers moving through the Port were down 11.5% to 338,470 TEUs.
“We are leading the nation in trade, and providing a safe harbor in the sea of tariff and trade uncertainty for our customers and the goods movement industry,” POLB CEO Dr. Noel Hacegaba said (watch his Feb. 25 media briefing above). “No matter what happens with cargo volume, the Port of Long Beach has the capacity, infrastructure, and workforce to move goods quickly, efficiently, and reliably.”
“Our cargo numbers show the Port of Long Beach continues to be the ‘port of choice’ for our customers,” added Long Beach Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna. “We are well on our way to another busy year for cargo.”
Hacegaba “anticipates continued uncertainty following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last week declaring two-thirds of tariffs imposed last year under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, unconstitutional,” according to POLB.
“While this decision ruled on the legality of the IEEPA tariffs, it did little to remove the uncertainty we’ve seen—and continue to see—across the global supply chain,” Hacegaba said. “Our customers are seeking clarity on whether tariffs already paid will be refunded, and consumers are seeking relief from higher prices.”
Hacegaba on Jan. 15 gave his first State of the Port address, following the retirement of Mario Cordero, and he projected that POLB will move 20 million containers annually by 2050. He noted that the $1.8 billion Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility project is on track for completion in 2032. Aimed at tripling the volume of cargo moved by on-dock rail to 4.7 million TEUs, the project will help move cargo containers from ships to trains in less than 24 hours and improve connectivity with inland destinations.
The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in 2025 extended their agreement with Anacostia Rail Holdings’ Pacific Harbor Line to provide railroad operating and maintenance services within the San Pedro Bay ports complex. Union Pacific and BNSF move cargo in and out of the complex.
For complete POLB cargo statistics, click here.
Further Reading:
- Port of Los Angeles: January Cargo ‘Eases’ Compared to ‘Elevated’ 2025 Levels
- POLB: Cargo Volumes ‘Steady’ Through October
- POLB Experiences Cargo Dip in September
- POLB: Second-Busiest August on Record
- POLB Releases Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility Draft Supplemental Study
- For Ports of LA, Long Beach, ‘Record’ July Cargo
- Jacobs Tapped for POLB Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility
